I began that annual ritual in 2002 when my eldest son reached 17. Number Two son was added a year later. Premiums were eye-watering, but at least I could get a quote. Each year I renewed with my existing insurer, Norwich Union, because I couldn't find anywhere cheaper.

My daughter Katy hit 17 in May, and was added to the policy, now costing more than £500 annually and due for renewal this month.

Imagine my surprise when my renewal notice informed me the next premium would be £837, up nearly 50%, even though I have a 30-year no-claims history, neither of my sons has had an accident and I drive a Fiat Brava which does about 5,000 miles a year.

I called the company to complain that I didn't like the quote, whereupon the adviser cut it to £820. It was a start, I suppose.

I said I still didn't like it and could they quote third party. That made no difference at all. I suggested taking off my eldest son, now 22. No difference. Neither did removing his brother, now 21, change anything.

"What about my daughter?" I asked with a sigh, knowing that wasn't practical, as she is the only one still living at home. It reduced the premium by £3.

The adviser did make me an offer he was sure I couldn't refuse. "Take all three off and we can knock more than £600 off."

"I can do better than that," I arrogantly boasted.

But could I? Not as easily as I suspected. When I began shopping around, not only were premiums exorbitant, but very few firms would quote at all.

First I tried the AA, which quoted £2,080. Even after removing both sons and my protected-claims bonus, its best offer was £809.

Zurich Connect is always writing to me offering the cheapest possible quotation and a further £50 off, so I dialled the number. Its £825.51 hardly set my pulse racing.

Similarly, Saga bombards me with literature but it fell at the first hurdle, or rather I did: "We only insure over-21s."

Next I hit the comparison websites, where Swiftcover appeared a consistent best buy, offering a premium a little higher than I am currently paying, at £560. However, when I tried to buy via TescoCompare.com I was locked out. My second attempt via GoCompare.com was also blocked.

Next I tried MoreThan, which would not quote for a 17-year-old. Neither would Sheilas' Wheels, left.

As the process went on I slashed my cover requirements, removing various drivers, trying third party only and even toying very reluctantly with ditching my protected-claims bonus.

Finally, the shopping around paid off. Confused.com turned up a quote from Bell Direct for £563. It turned out that this is part of the Admiral group, whose other subsidiaries Elephant and Diamond were the next best quotes at £583 and £597 respectively.

Admiral spokesman Justin Beddows said: "Bell is the smallest of our brands and aims to offer cover to people with zero or no-claims bonuses. But all our brands assess risks slightly differently, so you obviously ticked all the right boxes. The crucial thing is to get as many quotes as you can."

However, I managed to reduce the premium to this level by opting for third-party cover and not including Number One son.

He raged: "I no longer have a bedroom, and now I can't even drive the car. Don't ever expect me to come home again."

It's OK, he loves me really. No thanks to the insurance industry.